This application pertains to the art of medical office automation and more particularly to the automation of offices used by vision care professionals.
The invention is particularly applicable to the testing and analysis of vision patients and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it will be appreciated that the invention has broader application such as in the automation of any clinical office environment to achieve enhanced diagnosis and treatment, streamlined patient turnaround time, and overall patient satisfaction.
There has been increasing reliance on automation in virtually every area of business. The medical profession is perhaps one of the slowest to embrace and adapt automation technology to its practices. This is particularly true in the clinical environment in which patients are seen and diagnosed and treatment is prescribed or administered.
Of course, an ideal clinical environment from a patient's perspective is first-class medical care, low costs, and a minimal inconvenience. These desires are also mirrored by the clinicians.
Today, clinical offices implement automation in such areas as word processing, database manipulation, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. While the benefit of automating these areas is accepted, they provide a piecemeal approach to achieving the above-described goals.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved clinic automation system which overcomes the above-referred problems, and others, and provides a complete medical office diagnosis and treatment system which enhances the quality of treatment and patient satisfaction. The system also provides for increased efficiency that will minimize inconvenience to the patients while allowing a clinician to diagnose and treat patients rapidly, thus lowering overall costs.